Moonlight: What's Left Behind

(S01E15)"What do you think of Elliot for a boy?" Beth to Mick about their imaginary future children, kidding.

This was a great episode, with a twist! But the twist can wait until after the jump. One of the most interesting things about this episode was how Mick's longing to be human (with Josef hilariously teasing him about blood oranges and how confusing that must be) was the bread at the beginning at the end that sandwiched the rest of the episode. His longing has always been there, but it has become more pronounced in some ways because of his short stint as a human, and also because of certain revelations from this episode.

We also got to find out Josef's one regret about being a vampire, which I don't think he admits to very often. But first things first: There is a little boy missing, and Mick is going to find him.

Of course, we as viewers have an advantage that Josef doesn't have, because we are privy to Mick's flashbacks. So, we know that it's not just Beth Cocaine that sends Mick hurrying down to the house from which six-year-old Jacob has been kidnapped. It's the very house itself. Mick spent a great deal of time there with his best friend Ray and, more importantly, Ray's wife.

We knew that Mick had fought in war, but we got to see it this time: He fought side by side with Ray during World War II, and believed Ray had been killed when he came home from the war. So, Mick and Ray's widow found comfort in each other's arms, and when Ray showed up alive, Mick removed himself from their lives, permanently.

Now, a child has gone missing from Ray's old home, which is inhabited by... the son of Ray's widow. Who was born 7 months after Ray came home from the war... Suddenly, this case becomes the most (potentially) compelling case of Mick's career: This missing boy might be Mick's grandchild. And here is where we get to Josef's one regret: That he never sired any children... just vampires. He is happy for Mick, as Mick gathers up old clippings from his razor, long-hidden in his World War II foot locker. Beth, however, is not quite so happy.

It's interesting that the show has a strong sense of morality, particularly when it comes to sex. Josef dallies constantly, but he is reckless, dangerous, old, powerful. Sex seems to be linked to immortality and embracing vampirism, because even though we knew Beth had sleepovers with Josh, for the most part, Beth and Mick are celibate and squeaky clean. They still haven't consummated their relationship, which seems to be symbolic of their inability, as of yet, to determine what their relationship and their future will be. Further complicating things is the fact that vampires can't have children. Beth doesn't seem to be too devastated by this revelation, going so far as mockingly to name their first child. She points out that they haven't slept together yet, laughing that it might suck-- (pun intended) as if that would be the only thing that would keep them apart.

However, despite Beth and Mick's attraction to each other, the factors potentially keeping them apart seem almost insurmountable. Back to the plot though: Beth thinks it would be okay for Mick to have slept with his best friend's WIDOW, which Mick views as a betrayal, even though as far as they both knew, Ray was DEAD and had been for months, only if it were love. Mick thinks maybe it was-- that is why he vanished from their lives when Ray came home. However, they were two consenting, seemingly free adults. Why the big morality conversation? Why does it have to come from love? I'm not saying that Beth is wrong. It is just an interesting take for both a prime-time show and a vampire show to take, particularly because there are so many parallels between sucking blood and intercourse.

Back to the plot: Mick uses his knowledge of these old houses to figure out how the kidnapper stole the boy and rescues him. Then he finds out that these are actually Ray's descendants, and not his long-lost progeny. He loses his family before he even really found it. Is this going to make him more inclined to want to be with Beth, or will he shy away from her even more to spare her the hurt of never being able to have children? Perhaps it's more understandable why Coraline stole Beth as a child after all...

Final plot note: Do you think anything will happen as a result of Jacob showing his father Mick in the old photograph?

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9 Comments

Speaking as a bastard, I can tell you that bastardy is one of the last great taboos, and that's why, in the end, they had to provide DNA proof that this kid wasn't Mick's child. Look at movies like The Princess Diaries or What a Girl Wants, where they go out of their way to make sure you know that there was a marriage, no matter how short-lived and legally questionable, because a child born to people who aren't married would just be wrong.

alex o'laughlin's looks hooked me on this show. the writing could use some work. but a show that started out with such promise is starting to get on my nerves. i WANT this show to last mainly because i want to have my weekly "date" with alex. to tell the truth, the show is simply the vehicle. but i don't like the tone it's taking. it's getting too heavy, too "drama queen" if you will. beth needs to throw that guy on the floor and RAVISH him. i hate teasing. get on with it already!

The poll is all wrong, or the pollsters haven seen the show. I've seen all 15 episodes at least 20 times each...I can recite every line, and no where in any episode did Beth see or were the words ever spoken about boxers or briefs.

i actually thought the basic premise of the episode was great and agree that it would have been more interesting to have it be his son.BUT the acting sucked in this episode- it was very wooden and jerky and awkward with the exception of Josef (great one liners). Where did all the chemistry go between Mick and Beth? the fluidness for the storytelling? I really want this show to come back for another season but they'll have to step it back up a notch or two for me to stay interested. Not a big fan of cheesey sci-fi and I literally gawffawed at some parts of the episode. Pre-strike this show was HOT! Unfortunately, this show looks like it might be another casualty of the writers strike.

It will be interesting to see if anything comes of Ray's son discovering the picture Mick, considering that it also has Mick's name on the back.

I was also thinking that maybe Ray's wife got around and Ray isn't the father either. Another possibility is that Ray's wife had told her son that Mick was his father, his shock and dropping the picture implied this to me.

One of the best episodes this season.The Writers can go anywhere in their plots...maybe even a "little" Elliott" can be possible in future seasons to come.Repeat after me. "There will be several seasons to come..."There will be several seasons to come".

I'm glad that Beth will work as a co-investigator with Josh2.0; however, I wonder why he didn't ask Mick. Although Beth has the skills, Mick is clearly better. Plus, if he suspects Mick of being-up-to-no-good he could watch him up close.

I love Mick as a vamp. However, despite his bleeding heart he doesn't seem all that careful. Considering he and Coraline were married in the 50s/60s, I wonder why he didn't re-boot his identity and papers to that time, to make his current personae their son. That way, he could've just introduced himself to Ray's son as a son of an old friend as he did when he first met Beth. I think it'll bite him in the ass concerning J2's curiosity, particularly if J2 meets Mick's old cop buddy -

Final thing, if they intertwine J2 into every crime scene, why didn't just make him a cop?

This series just gets better and better. This is probably one of the finest episodes of the season. It touched on a subject that is rarely brought up in vampire fiction, the family left behind. I think it would have been more interesting if the show had chosen to the guy be Mick's love child. It would leave open a very interesting plot that could be touched on now and again as the series progressed and developed Mick's back-story more. Still, this was a good episode and I like the addition of Eric Winter.